(17) From the Fear of Being Ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus.
They laughed at Noah when he built the ark.
They mocked the disciples at Pentecost and accused them of being drunk.
They wrapped Jesus in a purple robe, jammed a crown of thorns on His head, and bowed before Him in twisted mockery.
Ridicule isn’t new. But it still stings.
And that sting is exactly what the enemy uses to keep God’s children quiet.
Fear of ridicule is one of the most effective silencers of holy boldness.
“You have no imagination.”
In 1919, a young cartoonist named Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star. His editor told him he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”
Imagine if Disney had listened.
Imagine if fear of being laughed at had kept him small.
Instead, he humbled himself… and kept going.
Not to prove them wrong—but because he knew what was inside him was real.
Who ridicules—and why?
The insecure do it to elevate themselves.
The bitter do it to infect others with their pain.
Narcissists use it to control the room.
The fearful mock what they don’t understand.
The crowd follows along so they won’t be next.
It almost always comes from someone who is unwilling to be vulnerable.
And that’s what makes your courage so threatening.
But here’s where humility sets you free:
If your ego doesn’t need applause, their laughter can’t shatter you.
If your worth is grounded in God, mockery can’t uproot it.
If your life is aimed at obedience, not approval, you’ll keep going even when they scoff.
Humility isn’t weakness.
It’s strength rooted so deeply in God that no insult can reach it.
And this is what we're really asking:
Deliver me, Jesus…
not from being ridiculed—
but from the fear of it.
We’re asking Him to pull out the root of people-pleasing.
To cure us of shrinking, editing, apologizing for who He made us to be.
A quiet conversation
Me: “Lord, they laughed at me before. I hate how much it still lives in me.”
Jesus: “I know. But their laughter can’t rewrite My call on your life.”
Me: “So… I don’t have to twist myself into someone they’ll accept?”
Jesus: “No. You only have to follow Me. You’re not too much. You’re Mine.”
If you’ve ever been ridiculed…
If someone mocked your faith, your dreams, your heart, your body, your efforts—
Let Jesus touch that wound.
And let Him give you back your voice.
You are not here to amuse the crowd.
You are here to follow Christ.
And He will never laugh at your obedience.
Prayer
Jesus, deliver me from the fear of being ridiculed.
Give me courage to speak when You prompt me, even if it costs me popularity.
Strip away the need for applause, and anchor me in Your approval.
Let my humility be stronger than mockery, and my faith louder than fear.
I will follow You—and not the crowd.
Amen.
Hungry for more?
If you’d like to continue the conversation and grow in fellowship with other believers, come join us in the Facebook group! It’s a space for encouragement, honest discussion, and diving deeper into the topics we explore here. We’d love to have you!